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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. branch — a division
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. spell — a short time
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. current — happening now
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. spell — magic
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. current — of water
  14. chest — of your body
  15. plane — a tool
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. spell — letters
  21. bark — to shout
  22. chest — a box
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. current — electric

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com